George Zimmerman's wife files for divorce

Sep. 6, 2013
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In this Monday, June 24, 2013 file photo, George Zimmerman, left, arrives in Seminole circuit court with his wife, Shellie, on the 11th day of his trial, in Sanford, Fla. George Zimmerman's wife filed for divorce Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013, less than two months after her husband was acquitted of murdering Trayvon Martin and a week after she pleaded guilty to perjury in his case. / Joe Burbank, AP

by Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

by Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

George Zimmerman's wife has officially filed for divorce, according to a court official.

Shellie Zimmerman put in the paperwork to end the couple's six-year marriage Thursday afternoon through the domestic division of the Seminole County Clerk of Courts, a court spokeswoman said.

Her attorney Kelly Sims told The Orlando Sentinel the decision was made "after much soul searching and recent disappointments."

Divorce papers published by ABC News say the couple has been separated since August 13 and are not living together.

Shellie Zimmerman asks for "equitable distribution" of the couple's property, assets, and their debt. She also wants sole custody of their two dogs: a two-year-old, 120-pound Rottweiler named Oso and a 20-pound "Heinz 57" canine named Leroy.

ABC also reports that on a financial disclosure form, Shellie Zimmerman said she is unemployed and listed her monthly expenses as $755.

Since they separated, George Zimmerman has given her $4,300 for living expenses and the "source of funds appears to be Zimmerman Legal Defense Fund," according to the financial disclosure form obtained by ABC.

The divorce announcement marked the second time Zimmerman was in the news on this week.

Earlier, it was reported that Zimmerman was stopped for speeding for the second time this summer.

Zimmerman was pulled over Tuesday morning in Lake Mary, Fla., and issued a $256 ticket for going 60 mph in a 45-mph zone. In July, he was pulled over in Dallas for speeding but was issued only a warning and let go. This time, he'll get 3 points on his license, unless he successfully contests the ticket or takes an online driver improvement course.

"George Zimmerman is kind of like the Loch Ness Monster - anytime you get a glimpse of him, it's making international news," said officer Zach Hudson, a spokesman for the Lake Mary Police Department, which issued Zimmerman the ticket.

Both developments come months after George Zimmerman was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin. Last week, Shellie Zimmerman also found herself in court as she pleaded guilty to perjury for lying during a bond hearing for her husband.

George Zimmerman did not attend the hearing where his wife was sentenced to a year's probation and 1000 hours of community service for the charge.

Hints that the marriage was in trouble surfaced several days later when Shellie Zimmerman told ABC News that her husband's trial put a strain on their marriage.

"I think we have been pretty much like gypsiesâ?¦We've lived in a 20-foot trailer in the woods, scared every night that someone was going to find us and that we'd be out in the woods alone and that it would be horrific," she told ABC News.

Thursday afternoon, Robert Zimmerman, Jr., George Zimmerman's brother, asked people on Twitter to pray for the couple.